The 10-minute version of The Count of Monte Cristo

I just finished reading The Count of Monte Cristo last week, and as a result my SO and I have been pondering what must have been cut out of the original to create a two hour action/adventure movie suitable for children.

In fact, we've been having so much fun that we ended up writing our own horribly mangled version. What follows is our 10-minute movie adaptation of the book (caution: a few spoilers follow, but not many).

Our hero, Edmond Dantes, walks off a ship and into his waiting lover's embrace. Three characters in dark cloaks sit in a nearby restaurant and watch. "I don't like him," says one. "Nor do I," says the other. "Let's unjustly send him to jail," says the third. All three laugh maniacally.

Cut to Dantes being surrounded by police and led to jail. Cut to Dantes in jail. Dantes meets another prisoner who says there's treasure hidden on some island. Cut to Dantes being thrown off a cliff and out of jail. Cut to Dantes on deserted island throwing jewels and gold coins over his head and laughing gleefully.

Cut to Dantes in a Paris restaurant. As he eats a fine meal, he sees the three conspirators walk past, still wearing dark cloaks. Cut to Dantes leaving the restaurant and entering his coach. Dantes takes the reins of the coach from its driver, and in a stunningly-filmed 3-minute long chase scene follows the three conspirators as they flee through Paris, ending with him running them over and killing them. Cut to Dantes tossing a few coins to some street urchins as he leaves the gates of Paris and rides off into the sunset.

Yep, it's got it all. Loss. Revenge. Action. Redemption. Paris in the 1800s.

Anyone want to buy the rights?

Categories:

• reading
• fun